How To Handle Depression

Jan

The dangerous thing about depression is spotting it. Knowing when to admit that your mind is making the rest of your body feel tired all the time isn’t the easiest thing in the world. Depression seems to creep in through the cracks, little by little. Before you know it you are finding it hard just to get up in the morning.

There is no joking around when it comes to depression and the quicker you start to fight it the better. Unfortunately it’s going to take effort and determination, but a little bit each day will eventually evolve into something bigger.

Check Internal Dialogue

Whether people like to admit it or not, everyone has a voice inside their head. It’s called the sub-conscious and it’s quite powerful. For people with depression this voice is very negative. Instead of making you feel good about yourself, your sub-conscious will say things like “you’re not good enough” or “you could’ve done better”.

In some cases negative internal dialogue is focused on life in general. For example, what’s the use of going to work for such a small salary? Depression can influence every aspect of your life and by the time you realize it, you’re too lost to simply change overnight.

Start by changing your negative thoughts into small positive ones. Congratulate yourself on everything you do correctly. The moment a negative thought enters your mind, recognize it and let it flow away.

Create Positive Social Circles

If you’re depressed then try to stay away from other negative people. At work people are prone to listen to co-workers complaining, but if possible, avoid it.

Instead, spend more time around family and friends that make you feel good about yourself. Even though being around negative people feels comfortable now, it’s one of the reasons you can’t get past your depression.

Active

The last thing any depressed person wants to do is get up and do something. Tasks that used to be fun now seem rather pointless, so why waste the energy? This is when you start to force yourself to become active. One of the best things to work into a routine is exercising. Research has shown that a stable exercise regime won’t just make you more positive, but keep you in a positive state of mind.

Just in case you really don’t want to exercise, go to fun places with your friends. Taking cooking classes if you have to, but get your mind away from whatever is bringing you down.

Laugh More

Research has also shown that laughing is truly a natural medicine. The more you laugh the more “feel good” chemicals are released.

Depression Can Be Controlled

Just remember that you are in a position to control your depression. With the right therapy and mind set you can more than just control depression, you can conquer it. Reach out to people you trust and ask for help, because this isn’t something you want to handle alone. The added support will speed up your recovery.

12

Dec

When people hear the word anxiety these days they typically associate it with a bad thing, and with good reason. For the most part people are being exposed to the dreadful side of anxiety, simply because it can really drain a persons’ quality of life. But there is another end to the spectrum where anxiety forms part of necessity. So where does a person draw the line and how does anybody decide when it’s bringing them down?

A Natural Reaction

On the positive side, anxiety helps to keep you alert and aware of your situation. In fact, it can help you retain your focus and quickly solve a problem. In moments of danger you’ll also feel an elevated sense of anxiety, informing you to be careful. Without it we probably won’t react quickly enough if the scenario calls for it.

The Dangers

On the down side, intense anxiety can keep people from living their lives. Apart from making some individuals too scared to do anything, it has a physical effect as well. For example, nausea, sweating and high blood pressure. Feelings of constant fear that ultimately force you to stop being productive is the definitive signal that a disorder is involved.

The only problem is defining the type of anxiety disorder you have, because they come in many forms. Instead of seeing it as an exclusive disorder, regard it as a series of related conditions. Every individual has their own way of struggling with anxiety and the source is usually hidden behind an emotional problem.

The Different Symptoms

In order to help get some clarity, here are some of the well-known symptoms typically connected with anxiety disorders:

– Always anticipating the worst

– A lack of focus and concentration

– Tensed muscles and paranoia

– Irritated

– The inability to think logically

– Restless

Now the question you have to ask yourself is how many times do you feel any of these symptoms throughout the day? Do they happen when you drive and there’s a lot of traffic around you? Maybe it’s triggered when there are too many people in a single room.

It’s important that a person traces the routes of the problem, and the best place to start is by noticing changes. Start making notes of when you feel too much anxiety and notice the changes your body goes through. Is your heart rate increasing? Is your mouth getting dry? Are you breathing comfortably?

The moment you can spot the triggers of your anxiety you can start to take the steps towards recovery.

Treating Anxiety Disorders

In the end the best way you can make a diagnosis and find a suitable treatment is to speak to a professional. The most important thing to know is that anxiety disorders can be treated and it doesn’t have to control your life. There are several self-help programs available on the web, but it’s still important to seek professional advice. In some cases it could be a medical condition that requires specific medication.

29

Nov

Macular degeneration is a common condition which causes a loss of visual accuity. In fact, it is the most common cause of vision loss. Around 10 million Americans are suffering from macular degeneration – more than are suffering from glaucoma and cataracts combined.

Currently, the condition is considered to be incurable. It is a condition which is caused by the deterioration of the retina – the part of the eye that processes what we see, and sends information to the optic nerve, from the eye, to the brain. The macula is the part that focuses central vision, and it is what controls our ability to see in the kind of fine detail that is required to read, drive, recognize faces, and perform other focus-requiring tasks.

When the macula is functioning well, it is able to process highly detailed images. When it starts to deteriorate, it will produce wavy or blurry images,and some people find that their central vision is completely lost in advanced stages of the condition – to the point that they are considered to be legally blind. It’s interesting to note that while people with macular degeneration do not have central vision, they can still see using their peripheral vision – although they are not able to see as clearly, because of the way that peripheral vision works.

There are two main kinds of macular degeneration – one type is wet, and the other is dry. The wet variety is less common than dry degeneration.

Usually, macular degeneration is age-related, but there is a condition called Stargardt disease, which can affect young people and is passed on through a recessive gene.

There are three stages which people go through with age-related macular degeneration. When the condition is just starting to develop there are no real symptoms, but as it progresses, there will be noticeable vision loss.

The people who are at most risk from macular degeneration are those who are over the age of fifty five, although there is an element of heredity to it as well. Those who have a family history of age related macular degeneration are at a much greater risk of suffering from it themselves.

Smokers are twice as likely to suffer from the condition as non-smokers, and caucasians are at a greater risk of developing the condition than Latinos, African Americans and Hispanics.

At the moment, the condition is considered to be incurable, so those who are diagnosed with it can only manage the condition through coping mechanisms that will help them to get around and complete day to day tasks with what is left of their peripheral vision. There is a lot of research being done into the condition to try to understand what causes it, how the progression can be slowed, and whether it could be reversed, however it is unlikely that there will be any breakthrough that would help those who are suffering from the condition today. That is why support and diagnosis is so important at an early stage, to prevent accidents caused by their loss of sight.

12

Sep

It is common for one to have a headache if they are stressed or after a long day of work. A headache can be fixed with the help of a few painkillers. However, sometimes one might not have a regular headache. They might feel intense pounding of the head such that they cannot think clearly. This is a migraine headache.

Most of the time, a person that has migraines will experience nausea or vomiting and will be disoriented. Sometimes one might experience partial blindness, such that the pain makes them see distorted images. When one gets a migraine, it is important that they rest or get some sleep. This usually makes the pain go away. If sleep does not work, it is then time to try medicine.

Causes of migraines are sometimes related to medicine. In most women, migraines can be due to hormonal changes in the body. Most women going through menopause are most likely to get migraines. Another cause to migraines is excess stress and lack of sleep. There are also certain foods that may cause some people to get migraines. When one smokes too much then stops suddenly, they are also at a risk of getting migraines, as well as people who take too much coffee then go for a while without it.

One can treat migraines using over the counter drugs. You can also get your doctor to conduct some tests and see why you are getting the migraines. It is advisable for one to get medical advice if they get frequent migraines that are intense. If the migraine takes more than a few hours to heal, then this is also cause to see a doctor. If the migraine is accompanied by fainting or paralysis, a doctor should be seen immediately to ensure that there is no damage to the head.

If one gets frequent migraines, they should stop doing strenuous activity and avoid stressful situation. The same goes for anyone who gets migraines from food. These foods should be avoided as much as possible. Those that get migraines from stopping smoking abruptly can get nicotine patches to help with it. As for those that get affected when they have not had caffeine, their caffeine intake should be limited, but not all at once as this could cause the migraine to be worse.

If one gets migraines when at home, they should rest. Sufficient sleep is crucial in stopping the migraines. Apart from that, intense exercises can often make prone to migraines. Thus, they need to slow down on the exercises and eat healthier foods.

When at home, one can also treat migraines without the use of medicine. Applying pressure with a cold cloth with help stop the pounding. In addition to that one can also stay in a quiet place that does not have too much noise as this can make the migraine worse.

Sometimes, one may get migraines if they do not eat regularly. As such, it is important that one eats healthy foods regularly as well as a sufficient amount of water.